Mail-pouch lifting and dumping device.



C. B. STEWART.

'MAIL POUCH LIFTING AND DUMPING DEVICE. APPLIOATION FILED MAYfzo.' 1913.

` n /0/ a, S14/vento@ wwwa/.waa auj'ewa colfuMBlA PLANOGRAPHco..wASH|NGTON, D. c.

unirsi) srarus rarnur orrron.

CLARENCE B. STEWART, OF ALHAMBRA, MISSISSIPPI.

MAIL-POUCH LIFTING- ANI) DUMPING DEVICE.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, CLARENCE B. STEWART, a citizen of the United States,residing at Alhambra, in the county of Washington, State of Mississippi,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail- Pouch Liftingand Dumping Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to improvements in postoflice or mail carapparatus.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a simple device formechanically lifting and dumping a mail bag on to the sorting table.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdescription when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation of my pouch dumpingdevice showing the parts in normal position. Fig. 2 is a side elevationof the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the position of theparts when the bag has been lifted. Fig. 4 is a top plan View.

Referring particularly to the accompany ing drawings, 10 and 11represent suitable uprights secured at any convenient point, and formedpreferably of steel angle strips. These uprights are held to the floorby the fastening means 12 and braced by the bars 13. o A suitablebracing and spacing strip 14 is secured to the bars near their upperends. Secured on the upper end portions of the uprights 10 and 11 arethe journal brackets 15 and 16, these brackets supporting a transverseshaft 17. Secured to the uprights 10 and 11 at equal distances below thebrackets 15 and 16 are the brackets 18, these brackets carrying asuitable shaft 19 on which is mounted a sprocket 20. On one end of theshaft 17 is a sprocket wheel 21 slightly larger than the sprocket 20,and on the opposite end of the shaft is an Operating Specification ofLetters Patent.

Application led May 20, 1913.

Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

Serial No. 768,885.-

lever 22,- this lever carrying a suitable handlever grip 23 connected toa pawl 24 which engages with the stationary rack segment 25 mounted onthe bracket 15. Secured to the segmental sprocket 2O and extendingoutwardly in a direction away from the uprights 10 and 11 are theconverging rods or bars 26, the outer ends of which are connectedtogether and carry a hook 27, this hook being adapted for engagementwith the loop 28 on the end of the mail pouch 29. Trainedaround thesprockets 2O and 21 is a chain 30.

In operating the device, the handelever 22 is in the position indicatedin Fig. 2, and upon releasing the pawl 24 by means of the grip 23, andlifting the said lever, the shaft 17 will be rotated. This will, throughthe medium of the sprocket 21 and chain 30, rotate the sprocket 2O andlift the hooked bars 26. The pouch 29 which is engaged on the hook 27will be lifted above the table 31 and the contents of the pouch dumpedonto the table.

The construction and arrangement of the parts are such that a smallmovement of the lever 22 will cause the hook 27 to be raised to agreater height than could be reached by a man in an attempt to dumpr thepouch. 'Ihe pouch is simply laid on the table in such position that thehook 27 engages on the hook at the bottom of the pouch, whereupon theoperator grasps the handle 22 and lifts the lever and sets the same byengagement of the pawl 24 with the segment 25 so that the bag` isinverted and held in a suspended position. In this position, thecontents of the pouch will readily be dumped onto the table.

IVhat is claimed is:

1. In a mail pouch dumping device, uprights, a shaft mounted on theuprights, a pouch engaging and lifting arm mounted on the uprights,means for locking the said shaft and connections between the lifting armand the shaft whereby the movement of the shaft will communicatemovement to the arm.

'IIS

l 5 an operating lever also carried by the shaft,

a sprocket mounted on certain other of the brackets, a pouch lifting armcarriedby the last named sprocket, means for holding the lever inVarious eleva-ted positions, and a chain trained around said sprockets.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in the presence of tWoWitnesses.

CLARENCE B. STEWART. Witnesses:

W. P. RHODES, E. H. BARWICK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

